Two administrators at a Pennsylvania school have quit their jobs after parents say they failed to act after a boy allegedly used artificial intelligence to create nude images of about 50 girls. .
The images were first reported in November 2023 using Safe2Say, an app that allows community members to anonymously report harassment and other issues, according to television stations WGAL-TV and WMPT-TV.
Often referred to as deepfakes, these images are generated by AI to make it appear as if someone said or did something they did not actually do. In the case, a student is accused of using photos of students at Lancaster Country Day School and altering them to make the girls appear nude.
And while the photo was reported in 2023, a more detailed investigation wasn’t started until parents reported the situation in May of this year, WGAL-TV noted.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lawyer: “No charges have been filed yet.”
As of Thursday afternoon, no charges had been filed against anyone for creating the fake nude images, attorney Matthew Faranda-Diedrich, who represents some of the students involved, told USA TODAY Thursday. .
Faranda-Diedrich said nearly 50 students had their photos altered.
Faranda-Diedrich confirmed to USA TODAY that she filed the lawsuit on Nov. 14 on behalf of students and parents at Lancaster Country Day School.
In the lawsuit, the family called for the resignation of Principal Matt Misiche and Board Chair Angela Anne-Alhadeff. Parents claim the school did not handle the situation properly.
Last week, the school’s board of directors announced that both Misiche and An-Alhadeff no longer work at the school, television station WGAL-TV reported.
Their departures come after the school’s board of directors announced that another school administrator, Jenny Gabriel, would be resigning. The school did not say why she was expelled, according to WGAL-TV.
Faranda-Diedrich said her client is happy with some of the changes that have already taken place at the school. The families “look forward to continuing to work with the school to make further changes and improvements to improve the safety of not only the victim, but all of our students,” he told USA TODAY.
Victim student learned of fake photo from another student
One student told WGAL-TV that he learned his face was used in one of the fake nude images from a classmate.
“A girl came up to me at school and she, I, and a few other girls from my school were photographed at school and then a boy used AI to create a nude image and then I put it on Discord and had a group chat with a few other boys from our school,” the girl told WGAL-TV.
The girl told the media that she was worried that the photo would haunt her for the rest of her life.
In August, Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams’ office approved a search warrant, allowing investigators to examine how the images were created.
Susquehanna Regional Police Department detectives recovered electronic devices from the home of a former Lancaster Country Day School student and collected data for analysis, WGAL-TV reported.
Officials with Adams Regional Police and Susquehanna Regional Police told USA TODAY Thursday they would not comment on the case.
School response to pornographic AI photos
Lancaster Country Day School’s board of directors called the situation “upsetting” in a statement to USA TODAY.
“We are still in the process of finalizing the resolution of this case,” the board said in a statement. “What we can say is that the board believes it is in the best interests of the girls affected. It means that a decision has been made.” It will be in the best interest of the school in the long run. ”
According to WGAL-TV, Lancaster Country Day School sent a letter to school officials telling parents about the image, and school officials looked into the information in November 2023, but found no evidence the photo was created. He said he couldn’t find it.
According to WGAL-TV, the administrators closed the investigation without informing police, but reopened it in May after more buzz about the images surfaced.
The school later sent another letter to families saying it had evidence of the doctored images. The school said it had “reported this incident to the appropriate authorities.”
In a letter sent to families in August, the school said it was making changes related to online safety and artificial intelligence. At the time, Lancaster Country Day School updated its student handbook to inform students that using AI to create images like the one in question was a “violation of our values and honor code.” He said he would change it.
Are the images illegal? The DA previously told local media: “I can’t say.”
When WGAL-TV asked District Attorney Adams about the leaked images from Lancaster Country Day School, she said she could not comment on the matter, but said, “Under our current child pornography laws, our courts cannot have interpreted the definition to mean actual children.” ”
Adams said the images may not be the basis for charges.
“It really depends on the investigation, what we can gather and what we can prove. Certainly, if the facts exist, we will move forward. If the facts do not exist, then we will move forward.” she said. But there will still be some damage done, and it will be very upsetting and very unpleasant. ”
This article has been updated to clarify the number of victims involved.
Contributor: Natasha Lovato, USA TODAY
Saleen Martin is a reporter for USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia. 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or contact her via email at atsdmartin@usatoday.com.
